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Skagit River Journal

of History & Folklore
Subscribers Edition Stories & Photos
The most in-depth, comprehensive site about the Skagit.
Covers from British Columbia to Puget Sound. Counties covered: Skagit, Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Snohomish & BC. An evolving history dedicated to committing random acts of historical kindness

Noel V. Bourasaw, editor (bullet)

810 Central Ave., Sedro-Woolley, Washington, 98284
Home of the Tarheel Stomp (bullet)

Mortimer Cook slept here & named the town Bug

The upper Skagit River opens up in 1878

Jesse Ball's 8-oxen team drags logs near future Sterling, circa 1878.

Ed. note: Mike Aiken, great grandson of Birdsview namesake and Lyman pioneer Birdsey Minkler, found a spectacular newspaper in his mother's collection. This 1878 issue of the weekly Puget Sound Courier newspaper in Olympia, was edited by famed C.B. "Clarence" Bagley, who later wrote the two-volume History of Seattle. Bagley (1843-1934) was also the founder of the Washington Historical Society, but at this point, he was having more fun ragging on the Daily Olympian. This is the earliest record we have found about the upper Skagit River in that year when the log jams at Mount Vernon were opened wide enough for boats to carefully steam or paddle through, when the four British bachelors settled future Sedro, and when Birdsey, August Kemmerich, John Grandy, William Hamilton, Charles von Pressentin, George Savage and others staked their claims on the upper river. Here is just one article from this four-page broadsheet issue; other stories from it will be shared first with subscribers to our separate online magaine In 2006. Thank you, Mike. This is a rare find and a fun treat.

Puget Sound Courier, Dec. 27, 1878, page 1 The following in regard to matters and things in the Skagit country is gleaned from a recent number of the Snohomish Star [newspaper].

For several months past, settlers have been settling very fast on Upper Skagit and the mouth of the Sauk [river], 60 and 70 miles from the Sound, a number of families having recently settled on the river, a long distance above the jam.
Three loggers at present at work at the jam. Whenever the jam becomes clogged up, they stop and open it. When the jam is wholly closed, as was the case a few weeks ago, all the loggers on the river make a common cause, and all work at it until it is again navigable.
There are four camps above the jam, as follows:

Gage & Davis, one mile above the upper jam

[James] Cochrane [see our website: http://www.geocities.com/skagitriverjournal/Upriver/CochraneBio1.html] and McDonald's camp, some four miles higher up, near the mouth of Nooka Samish [now called Nookachamps] creek

Kern brothers, whose camp is one mile higher up

John Ball's [actually Jesse Beriah Ball — see our website: http://www.stumpranchonline.com/skagitjournal/S-WArea/Sterling01-BirthBall1.html] camp, on Scott's place, some eight miles above the jam. [Ed. note: Ball was setting up his mill and small village at the site of future Sterling, west of Sedro.] At this place there is quite a settlement springing up; there being a store, saloon, etc. Mr. Frank Scott keeps the store and Wm. Sawyer runs the "gin mill."

The timber along the bank of this river is very fine, and no one is cutting logs more than half a mile back. The timber is very clear, soft, easy to work and excellent for flooring, etc.; but on account of its softness hard to haul.

Birdsey Minkler's early water-powered sawmill, first on the river Minkler and Ross are successfully running their saw mill situated some three or four miles above the coal mines [which were opposite future Hamilton on the south side of the Skagit], and nearly 30 miles above the jam. They have a splendid water privilege, but are situated so that they can use only a small part of its power [Mill creek]. Back of their mill is a high bluff covered with excellent fir timber. [Ed. note: Does anyone know who this Ross might be? Please email if you do.]
They use no cattle [oxen] to get their logs to mill, but have a long and strong wire cable. When they want more logs to saw, one of them goes up on the hill and fells a suitable tree, this is swamped out, cut in saw logs and sniped ready for hauling. This being done, the logs are hauled to the mill by attaching this wire cable to the log, so that when they start up the mill the log is hauled in and sawed without any more ado. Capt. Green, at present on the Josephine, holds a claim near this mill. McCue's saw mill on Nooka Samish is in process of construction. It will probably be completed and running by the spring.
About six weeks ago Sanger & Armstrong brought down from the headwaters of the Skagit River an ounce of coarse gold, one of the pieces weighing enough to be of the value of three dollars. They returned again to go to work up there within a few weeks thereafter. It is expected that a large number will go in the spring to test these newly discovered placer mines.

Links, background reading and sources

See our full section on the Upper Skagit River, with dozens of story links, separated by town and area.
See our Newspapers Log for transcriptions of newspapers from all over the county, and profiles of pioneer journalists, writers and editors.
See Issue 33 of our optional Subscribers Edition for a brief history of Olympia newspapers from the beginning of Washington Territory in 1853, including when Bagley moved there.

You can click the donation button to contribute to the upkeep of this site at a time when we may be forced to cut it back for lack of funds. You can also subscribe to our optional Subscribers-Paid Journal magazine online, which is about to enter its sixth year with exclusive stories, in-depth research and photos that are shared with our subscribers first. If you like what you read, t hank you in advance for whatever support you can provide.

Story posted on June 13, 2003, and last updated on March 30, 2006
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